Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has hinted of government plans to construct the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.

The dam, when constructed will serve as a counter to the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam from Burkina Faso, and also generate electricity for the region.

Parliament in 2008 contracted a loan of $525 million from the Brazilian government to contract the Pwalugu multipurpose in the Upper East Region, and the Juala Dam in the Northern Region.

Although Ghana received the money in 2009, the government abandoned the two projects and diverted the money to the construction of the Eastern corridor road which has still not been completed.

But Speaking at Tongo in the Talensi District after an assessment of the devastation of floods in the Upper East Region, Dr. Bawumia said the NPP government is committed to the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose project which would serve as a flood control mechanism and a source of irrigation to thousands of farmers.

“The studies have shown that the construction of the Pwalugu dam will provide a flood control mechanism and with the dam, it is clear that the spillage of the Bagre dam will be controlled. It will also generate hydroelectric power for the people of Upper East and serve as a source of irrigation of farmers”.

“On October 1, a meeting will be held at the Jubilee house specifically on the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project. We are very determined to make sure this project comes to light and ‘Insah Allah’ it will be done.”

$700 million needed to build Pwalugu Multipurpose dam

The Chief Executive Officer of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Dr. Charles Abugre, disclosed in 2016 that $700 million was required to construct the Pwalugu Multi-purpose Dam project in the Upper East Region.

Speaking at the 7th assembly meeting of the Bongo District Assembly on the prospects of SADA, Dr. Abugre said SADA was working through the government of Ghana to raise the $700 million from the World Bank to execute the Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam project.

“The cost of the project is about $700 million, and all the paper work was completed six months ago; but there is some contention around the environmental impact which we are trying to deal with. It requires government’s commitment to mobilize the $700 million so what has SADA done? We kept it in government priority agenda so we have pushed it on the World Bank and it can only start next year,” Mr. Abugre said.